The High Desert Education Service District operates the NEST (Nurturing Empathy Safety and Trust) program in partnership with Bend-LaPine School District to serve special education students experiencing intensive behavioral and social skills challenges. The NEST serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade to prepare them to transition back to the district. Students access the NEST through a Bend/LaPine School District referral process. The NEST also has psychiatric consultation on a limited basis for students with specific needs.